Volunteer Spotlight

Sheri Null

With a warm heart and a soft spot for needy babies, our Iowa Volunteer for April 2009 is Sheri Null. Her life has been a testament to both that heart and that love. Sheri has spread that childhood love to five adopted children, a grandson and many foster children.

Both she and her husband, Wayne are natives to the State of Iowa but it was in California that they met while in the US Army Medical Corps. After being discharged, Sheri and Wayne moved back to Iowa City and worked as nurses. Today, they live in rural North English, located about thirty miles west of Iowa City. Sheri has retired from nursing but retirement finds her busier than ever as she raises three pre-teen daughters and continues as a Foster Mom to those medically needy babies.

Busy kid times leaves few minutes for stitching but quieter moments bring Sheri time to enjoy her creativity for TPP. Her original involvement included donating ideas and skills for the Memory Boxes in TPP’s Bereavement section. Her initial skills were in sewing but through The Preemie Project, she has honed her talents in knitting. Her buntings, hats, blankets and booties are often created while relaxing in front of television at night and she is a regular at TPP blanket weekends and is a contributor to the semi-annual craft sales for TPP. Fearless, she has tried most crafts and is willing to experiment with anything…at least once.

Her love of babies and dolls carry through in her doll collection and her efforts at preemie knitting. With personal difficulties conceiving and a miscarriage following infertility treatments, this volunteer was left with a permanent spot in her heart dedicated to the “littlest ones”. And TPP is the lucky beneficiary of her efforts on behalf of them as she nears two years of involvement with our organization.

A sewing machine always at the ready, a yarn stock parked near her evening chair and a knitting project always toted with her, Sheri doesn’t waste a minute whether she’s waiting at appointments, picking up and waiting for kids at school or during her few quiet hours in the evening. You can almost hear her needles clicking away.

TPP has given Sheri the chance to fill her creative need while providing her with a warm feeling that her creations are of some value to others. As she so aptly asks: “Who could ask for more than that of a charitable effort?“ Thanks to Sheri for her dedication, devotion and talents.